title: Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with LARS™ artificial ligament results at a mean follow-up of eight years.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to review patients that underwent ACL reconstruction with the LARS™ ligament in the First Orthopaedic Division of Pisa University during the period between January 2003 and December 2005.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-six patients were reviewed with an average follow-up of 95.3 months (7.9 years). The review protocol was articulated in three phases: (1) a subjective evaluation using three grading scales: VAS, KOOS and the Cincinnati knee rating scale, (2) a clinical and objective evaluation, and (3) a biomechanical evaluation of the knee stability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A global positive result was obtained in 92.3 % of the patients (16 optimal results and eight good results), with a fast functional recovery and a high knee stability. A global poor result was reported in two cases. In our series we did not record cases of infection or knee synovitis. We recorded only one case of mechanical graft failure. The results obtained from our study are encouraging and similar to those in the literature.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that the LARS™ ligament can be considered a suitable option for ACL reconstruction in carefully selected cases, especially for older patients needing a fast functional recovery.
authors.affiliation: 1st Orthopaedic Clinic, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. parchip@tiscali.it
authors.forename: Paolo Domenico
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Parchi
authors.forename: Ciapini
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gianluca
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dolfi
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baluganti
authors.forename: Piolanti
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nicola
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chiellini
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lisanti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016118:Anterior Cruciate Ligament / Q000601:surgery*; D000070598:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; D059549:Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery; D008022:Ligaments / Q000601:surgery*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome